Stopford House
Redevelopment of a 'brutalist architecture' council office building previously featured in the TV series ‘Life on Mars’.

Sectors
Location
Stockport, Manchester, United Kingdom
Client
Stockport Council
Architect
Space Invader
Spanning 140,000ft2 (1,300m2) across six storeys, Stopford House is a local government office building located in Stockport. Cundall provided multi-disciplinary engineering services to a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 3 level of detail as part of a design and build contract. There was also an opportunity to review the existing fire safety provisions to ensure a cost-effective improvement plan.
The refurbishment of the building included CAT A and Cat B fit-outs and a mix of new and retained central plants. Air Source Heat Pumps were provided to compliment the biomass boilers and reduce reliance on the existing natural gas boilers. Windows were replaced, improving thermal performance and increasing natural ventilation provision, to form part of a mixed mode ventilation system. The thermal mass of the building was exposed to passively maintain comfort levels, reducing reliance on comfort cooling.
James Hoodless, from Cundall's mechanical design team, commented “Our team worked closely with the client to understand their needs and requirements to create a workspace that focuses on staff wellbeing and new ways of working. This was all delivered within a very tight budget.”

Working with Stockport Council and a project team that understands the need of retrofitting and its benefits has been very refreshing and aligns with our commitment to a net zero carbon future.